Kan'ei 20 (寛永二十年)

Timeline of 1643

Other Events of 1643

  • Dutch explorer Maarten de Vries visits Sakhalin. The local Ainu offer him and his people chopsticks, and upon finding they cannot use them, call the Dutchmen "Spanola," an indication that the Ainu were surprisingly familiar with foreign peoples.
  • Dutch ship Breskens is captured by the shogunate.
  • Shogunate bans the planting of cash crops (rapeseed, tobacco, and mulberries for the cultivation of silkworms) on certain lands.
  • Empress Meishô succeeded by Emperor Go-Kômyô.
  • Korean embassy journeys to Edo, and to Nikkô Tôshôgû, where a large bronze bell is presented from King Injo, which still hangs today before the Yômeimon at the shrine.
  • The shogunate orders sixteen daimyo to begin organizing firefighting brigades.

Births and Deaths


Previous Year
1642
1643 Following Year
1644